At present, automated drill rigs are used whether for autonomously drilling blast holes in a drill bench of an open cut mine or in a mine face of underground mines. However, operator oversight is required to monitor the state of drilling of the drill rig to ensure that the measurement while drilling (MWD) data remains within specification. Reasons for the MWD data falling outside specification include a worn drill bit, an incorrect drill bit for the geological conditions or an incorrect drill bit for the required mode of drilling for the geological conditions.
Should the operator determine that the MWD data is outside specification, the operator needs to determine if it is preferable to change the drill bit to provide improved efficiency or to continue with the drilling operation with the current drill bit albeit with the MWD data outside specification. The reason for this is that changing a drill bit is a relatively time consuming process and any benefit that may be gained from changing the drill bit may be outweighed by the time taken to do so.